Intertwined Realms
by baru-chan
Summary: DISCONTINUED HPLOTR When she touched a painting, Katie Bell was transported to the woods of Lothlórien. How will she react to a world where elves look nothing like the ones she was used to?
1. Prologue

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Intertwined Realms  
_A Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings Crossover by baru-chan_

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Disclaimers: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling and J.R.R. Tolkien, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, Raincoast Books, Bantam Books, Warner Bros., Inc., and New Line Cinema. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

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Author's Notes:

I didn't use real Elvish words, since I would just butcher the beautiful language. Therefore, conversations in Elvish would be seen as: _blah, blah, blah_

This is my first HP/LOTR crossover, so go easy on me, please! Reviews and constructive criticisms are welcome, but flames would be ignored.

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PROLOGUE

"_Achoo!_" I paused to wipe my nose and then continued to clean the cauldron.

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Scrub, _scrub_. I poured some more of Mrs. Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover onto the cauldron. Unfortunately, the fumes of the potion irritated my already dripping nose and made me sneeze again. "_Achoo! Achoo!_"

"Five points from Gryffindor, Ms. Bell, for spreading the cold virus in my classroom."

Great. I have a cold, it's November, I'm serving detention in the dungeons, and Snape took five points off for sneezing. Isn't my day just _wonderful_? I glowered at the item I was scrubbing.

"Ms. Bell, I do not think that glaring down at the poor, hapless cauldron would make it any more cleaner," a cold, smooth voice cut through my thoughts.

I suppressed the urge to retort and instead transferred my glower to Snape's face. I vented off my anger by scrubbing furiously at the cauldron until it looked as if it was bought yesterday. Ha, let's see if he could find anything wrong with this!

"I'm done, sir," I called out.

Snape stopped grading essays and stalked towards me. He loomed over me to examine the fruits of my labor. "Very good, Ms. Bell. Your work is satisfactory," he said grudgingly.

"Am I allowed to go back to the Gryffindor common room, sir?" I asked politely.

He raised his eyebrows at me. "Yes, Ms. Bell, you may." A pause. "Pass by the hospital wing to get some Pepper-Up potion from Madam Pomfrey, Ms. Bell, I do not want you being the source of a barrage of potion orders from her."

I gaped at him in shock. Why did he suddenly decide to express a semblance of…of _care_ towards me? I'm a Gryffindor! His face is devoid of emotions, however, and his eyes were carefully blank.

"I will, Professor, and good night." Shock flashed across the Potions Master's face briefly, and it was so quick that it wasn't there at all.

* * *

I walked swiftly down the corridors, trying to reach the Gryffindor Tower as fast as I could. The sooner I could warm myself up in front of a fire, the better.

"_Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!_" Damn, I hate this cold! I stopped for a while, trying to find my handkerchief in one of my pockets. "_Achoo!_" I sneezed again, bending down from the force of my sneeze. I really think that using handkerchiefs while having a cold is impractical. Muggles are lucky: they invented Kleenex. But the magical world? We discovered the recipe for the Pepper-Up potion. In my opinion, Kleenex is better than ten doses of Pepper-Up potion.

I straightened up, wiped my nose, when all of the sudden, white light flashed from underneath the door to my right.

My curiosity piqued, I opened the door to the room and gasped in awe. The only object of interest in the room was a painting. A large painting. A painting that took up almost a _whole wall_! And I'm telling you that it's big! It portrayed a bright forest. The leaves were golden, and the trees shone with an inner light. It looked so real; I felt that if I would just reach for it, I could actually _enter_ it.

I suddenly had an irresistible urge to just _touch_ the painting. Of course, the idea was ridiculous. Why would anybody touch a painting? It'll just ruin the work of art! And besides, I'm stronger than that!

Suddenly, out of nowhere, I heard a voice calling out to me. _Come, Katie, come! Come and touch me and feel magic! Feel the pure magic of the forest and revel in it! The forest could show you things, many things, Katie, if you would just **touch** me!_

Moving against my will, my hand slowly stretched out towards the painting. Just before my fingers reached the canvas, a bright flash of golden light engulfed me.

* * *

The first thing I noticed about my surroundings was that it's not as chilly as it was the last time I was conscious. Sure, I'm _still_ cold, but it didn't feel like it's winter anymore. That fact didn't reassure me though, since I'm in the middle of a steady downpour of water.

After a moment of lying down in the middle of the rain, I decided that I hate water. It's cold and wet and it hampers one from seeing clearly with water droplets dripping down your eyelashes. And it prevents you to see the Quaffle during a Quidditch game.

I sat up and looked around. I was in the middle of a forest, and a beautiful one at that. It slightly resembles the painting I just touched, actually. The trees of these woods feel magical, as if all of them contained a magical creature's hair, feather or heartstrings in its core. That thought made me think of a wand; and the concept of having wands as big as trees made me think of multiple Hagrids lugging them around. It amused me so much that it made me laugh.

I chuckled weakly and suddenly sneezed. _Drat! My cold's going to get worse in this rain! I've got to find shelter…_ I stood up and staggered to the nearest tree. Once I reached it, I plopped down and hugged my robes tightly. The tree might have large leaves, but water droplets keep on dripping on me. The robe is ideal for winter, but it sure isn't waterproof. _Waterproof…_ Of course! Why didn't I think of it before? 

I pulled out my wand and pointed it at myself. "_Impervius!_" There, I'm waterproof! It worked for Harry during that Quidditch match, and it works for me now.

Let's see if I got last week's Transfiguration lesson right…. I concentrated hard and envisioned a thick, large blanket. I waved my wand and I conjured a blanket. I inspected it; it isn't as thick as I'd like, but it's better than nothing. I guess McGonagall would be proud of me, considering the fact that I didn't get it right last week.

"_Achoo! Achoo!_" I wiped my nose miserably. I was already feeling a bit feverish and I hoped that I'm going to be found by someone soon.

I snuggled against the tree trunk and let sleep overcome me.

* * *

Haldir, his brother Rúmil and the Fellowship of the Ring were making their way through the woods towards Cerin Amroth. The members of the Fellowship were blindfolded – even the elf Legolas – and Haldir was leading them with his brother Rúmil guarding the back.

It rained hard the afternoon and the evening before, and the forest floor was damp. Rúmil's sharp elven eyes roved around the scenery, scanning for unwanted visitors. As the company reached a small clearing, Rúmil noticed a dark shape beneath a _mellyrn _tree and brought it to his brother's attention.

Haldir called the company to a halt. He glanced at Rúmil and gestured towards the dark figure. Rúmil nodded and went closer to the body. Once he was close enough, he noticed that it was the figure of a girl-child, one of the children of Men. Rúmil prodded the child awake.

Katie moaned and opened her eyes when she felt someone poking her. She saw a pair of legs and looked up slowly. What she saw shocked her. There in front of her was a golden-haired man who had an aura of light around him, despite the fact that it was dark.

Katie felt ridiculous in front of him and asked the first thing that came into her mind. "Are you an angel?" she asked before she promptly fainted.

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**Author's Notes:** I am aware that it didn't rain during the Fellowship's hike through the woods. I claim artistic license with the raining part.


	2. Chapter 1: The Girl Awakes

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Author's Notes: Thanks to all that reviewed! Since I loved every single one of them, I decided to grace you all with a new chapter sooner than what is considered normal for me.

littlehorse: You're the third or fourth person to point that out to me! I really can't help but commit that mistake repeatedly; I just couldn't help it! The errors you found are the ones that slipped my notice. I'll try to keep grammar mistakes to a bare minimum, though. And don't hesitate to point out any mistakes I commit; it helps me become a better writer.

_blah, blah_ are conversations in Elvish

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Everett claimed that our universe – the universe we see, the universe of rocks and trees and people and galaxies out in space – was just one of an infinite number of universes, existing side by side.

Each of these universes was constantly splitting…a world where you brushed your teeth in the morning and one where you didn't. And so forth, on and on and on. An infinity of worlds.

–Timeline, Michael Crichton

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CHAPTER ONE – The Girl Awakes

The group of mismatched people had been marching towards the heart of Lórien for several hours before they were intercepted by a host of Elves. The leader of the company spoke with Haldir before continuing on their way.

Haldir turned to the Fellowship. "They bring a message from the Lord and Lady of the Galadhrim. You are all to walk free, even the dwarf Gimli. It seems that the Lady knows who and what is each member of your Company. New messages have come from Imladris, perhaps."

He removed the blindfold from each of the members of the Fellowship. They blinked, drinking in the beauty of Lórien. Then, after looking around, the Company gaped at what Rúmil, Haldir's brother, was carrying. It was a girl.

"How did a child of Men sneak this far into these Woods?" Legolas asked, amazed.

"We do not know," Haldir sighed. "My brother has spotted her a few hours ago."

Aragorn moved closer to Rúmil and examined the girl-child. "She has a slight cold," he announced after taking in her flushed face. "She may have been exposed to the rain yesterday afternoon." 

Aragorn told Rúmil to put the girl down and asked, _Was she awake when you found her?_

_I woke her up,_ answered the Elf. _She groaned, stared at me, asked me something in a language that seemed similar to the Common Tongue and promptly fell unconscious._

Aragorn frowned. _Were her eyes glassy? Out of focus?_ He gently placed his hand upon the girl's forehead and checked her pulse.

_No to both questions._ Rúmil wondered where this was leading.

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So it is a mere cold then. Aragorn thought in relief. He was afraid that the girl would need to be carried all the way to Caras Galadhron. 

While the Ranger examined the girl, Haldir had a far-away look upon his face. His eyes were unfocused and he looked as if he were unaware of what was happening around him. After a moment, Haldir returned to normal and addressed Aragorn.

"The Lady Galadriel wishes us to wake the girl up." The Company looked confused as this statement. The Lady certainly wasn't in the immediate vicinity.

But Aragorn merely nodded and shook the girl gently. "Wake up," he whispered to her ear.

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"Katie Bell…"

Katie looked around. Gray mist surrounded her and there seemed to be no walls; no dimensions in this place. All around her was just an endless sea of fog, yet, strangely enough, she could see clearly. She pondered on this paradox for what seemed to be an eternity and a day before a voice cut through her thoughts.

"Katie Bell…Katie Bell…" the voice was distant, delicate and ethereal. It was beautiful, yet it had a note of urgency in it that slightly marred the elegance of the voice.

"Who…who are you?" Katie felt inferior next to the owner of the voice.

"I am Y'narë, Guardian of the Portal. Welcome to my Realm." A woman appeared next to her. Katie would have liked to describe her, but the Guardian was beyond description.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"I wanted to warn you that when you wake up, you will have a bit of a shock."

Katie frowned. "What kind of shock?"

Y'narë evaded her question. "You have answered the call of my Gate and entered the Portal. Therefore, it means that you want to learn the pure magic of the Woods. Many before you have come near my Gate, yet you are the only one who responded to Its calls after a century of being dormant."

"Oh…" was all Katie could say.

Suddenly, a man's voice filled the air. (If there _is_ air in this place…_Katie thought bemusedly) "Wake up…"_

"Who's that?" Katie asked Y'narë.

The Guardian merely smiled and kissed Katie's forehead. "May you learn the beauty of the Woods of Lórien…" she whispered.

"Wake up…"

* * *

The Company watched as the girl stared at Aragorn. "Who are you?" she whispered. The girl's odd accent and the placement of her cheekbones immediately marked her as a foreigner. "Where am I?"

"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You are in the Woods of Lórien," answered Aragorn. "Now it is my turn to ask you questions. Who are you and how did you come this far into the Woods?"

"I'm Katie Bell and I have absolutely no idea as to how I ended up here," answered the girl. Katie looked at the others and raised an eyebrow at Aragorn. "Care to introduce me to your companions?"

"Forgive me, my lady, for I have forgotten my manners!" said Aragorn, bowing his head briefly. "The Man is Boromir, son of Denethor. The Dwarf is Gimli, son of Glóin. And the Hobbits are Meriadoc, son of Saradoc ("Call me Merry!" said Meriadoc); Peregrin, son of Paladin ("Also known as Pippin!" said Peregrin); Samwise, son of Hamfast ("It's just Sam, miss,"); and Frodo, son of Drogo. The Elves are Legolas, son of Thranduil; Haldir, Warden of Lórien and his brother, Rúmil. 'Twas Rúmil who found you, my lady," he added.

Katie took a good look at her "saviors" while Aragorn was introducing them. Aragorn and Boromir both had raven hair and the same general look about them. _Maybe they're from the same country…_ she thought. Katie never saw a Dwarf before and thought that he looked like a miniature Hagrid. The "hobbits" looked like men the size of children with big hairy feet and pointed ears.

When Katie heard the word "Elves," she tried to look for small creatures with squeaky voices. But all she saw were three tall men all pointed ears and blond hair.

"No way!" Katie exclaimed, surprising the Company. "There is absolutely _no way_ could they be Elves! I mean," she continued in a softer voice, "elves are creatures about waist-high and have squeaky voices! They're the ones who cook our meals and tidy up after us! Those guys," – Katie pointed at Haldir, Legolas and Rúmil – "are probably the _opposite_ of what Elves should look like!"

Legolas frowned. How dare she assume that Elves are small with squeaky voices? "I assure you, my lady, that we are certainly _not_ waist-high! And does my voice sound squeaky to your ears?" he asked her coldly

Katie blushed. "I'm sorry! It's just that, well, that's the description of a House Elf…. I've only read about _real_ Elves once, you know, and it's said that they're reclusive and the last time an Elf was spotted was more than a hundred years ago; I never really expected to meet one…"

"We forgive you, my lady," answered Legolas after a brief pause. "I admit, my kindred has always been isolated from the _edain_ and the rest of the Second-born."

"Are you able to stand, my lady?" asked Aragorn.

"I wouldn't know unless you help me stand up," Katie answered.

Aragorn pulled her to her feet. He was surprised at the strength of Lady Katie's grip and the roughness of her hands; she may have been used to heavy labor.

Pippin marveled at the height of the girl. She looked young – she was probably around his age if she had been a Hobbit-lass – yet she was almost as tall as Boromir! Pippin had never seen a child of the Big Folk before, and he expected them to be at least a bit taller than him.

"Hullo!" he said, walking by Lady Katie's side. "I was just wondering…how old are you? You see, my lady, I have never seen a child of the Big Folk before, and I thought that you would only be a little, er, taller than I am…."

Katie blinked at Pippin and smiled. "I'm seventeen years old. I may look young, but I would be of age in a few months, on June. And please, drop the 'my lady'! I'm not used to formalities."

"Very well, my – I mean, Katie. And you said that you'd be an adult in a few months? Then it seems that I would be considered younger than you are, if I were one of the Big Folk."

"How old are you, Pippin?" Katie asked curiously.

"I am twenty and nine years old, Katie."

"Twenty-nine?!" Katie was astonished. "You're older than me! How could you be considered as younger than I am?"

"He would have to wait for another four years before he comes of age, Lady Katie," said Merry.

"Four years…" Katie murmured, counting on her fingers. "You have to be thirty-three before you reach an adult status?" she asked indignantly. "That's unfair!"

"Not everything in life is fair and just, my lady," said Merry. An awkward silence lay over the daughter of Men and the son of Halflings.

The Company of eleven walked for a while until they reached a small hill. "Behold! You are come to Cerin Amroth," said Haldir. "Here we will stay awhile, and come to the city of the Galadhrim at dusk."

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Author's Notes: So, how was that? I'll be trying to update every week; Monday nights or Tuesday mornings. Just so you know, my time zone is GMT +0800. As always, constructive criticisms are welcome, but flames will be ignored.


	3. Interlude

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INTERLUDE – Of Elven Ladies, Magical Mirrors and Quidditch Practices

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Galadriel filled up her mirror with water from the nearby stream and breathed upon it. While she waited for the water to still, her husband, Celeborn, eyed her with worry.

"Do you think it wise, my Lady, that you should look into the Mirror so soon after seeing the Eye?" he asked her.

"Nay, my Lord Celeborn, I do not." Galadriel smiled at her husband. "Do _you_ share my sentiments, the one who is called The Wise?"

"Yes, my beloved, I do. Yet why do you still insist to look upon the Mirror when you will be more troubled?" questioned Celeborn.

"Celeborn, I have said that I think it not wise to look into the Mirror, not that it would trouble me more," she sighed.

"That you did," he agreed. "But I have observed over the years that whenever I tell you that it is not wise to look at your Mirror, you end up being troubled or confused in the end." Celeborn bestowed a mock-scathing look upon his wife. "I do not know I asked you to wed with me when you clearly showed no intention to follow my counsel," he finished with a sigh of deep annoyance.

"You asked me because you loved me," Galadriel replied and smiled beautifully at her husband.

Celeborn smiled back and thanked the Valar for giving him Galadriel. "Go on, look into the Mirror so that you may finish early!" he said.

Her smile widened and she kissed her husband briefly. Suddenly, her whole demeanor changed. She was now Galadriel, Lady of the Woods of Lórien. Galadriel looked into her Mirror…

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"Practice is over!" Harry Potter, the Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team yelled to the members of said team. "You could all wash up now!"

The female members of the team shuffled to the girl's locker rooms to shower and change into their school robes.

"Do _all_ Quidditch practices have to be this grueling?" moaned Lisa Kurtis, a fourth year and one of the newest members of the team.

"Just be thankful that everyone's a bit rusty and that Oliver Wood graduated two years ago," Alicia Spinnet replied as she massage her sore legs.

"You mean it gets _worse_?" asked Lisa, horrified.

"At least Harry was merciful and didn't run us too hard today…" muttered Katie Bell.

"Or make us wake up at four-thirty in the morning and bore us with Quidditch strategies…" added Alicia.

"Or tell us to hold on to the Quaffle or die trying…" 

Lisa looked more and more horrified as the list went on and on. _I knew that I shouldn't have tried out for the Quidditch team!_ she groaned to herself. _Why did I let Ginny talk me in to this…?_

Lisa groaned again and flopped down on the benches. Katie and Alicia stopped massaging their sore limbs for a while and looked at their new teammate sympathetically. "Don't worry, Lisa!" said Katie, trying to cheer her up. "Once your muscles get used to the fact that you have to abuse them, they would stop protesting against the maneuvers you have to perform."

"I still resent Ginny for talking me into this…" muttered Lisa, her voice muffled because of the arm draped on her face.

"Cheer up, dearie! You'll be thanking Harry later for running you hard when we win every single match we play in!" said Alicia.

"True…" sighed Lisa. She used to think that the Gryffindor team members were exaggerating when they stumble into the common room looking as if a dozen rabid elephants stampeded them. Now that she knew how they felt, Lisa vowed never to take Quidditch lightly again.

Alicia and Katie exchanged a look over Lisa's head and nodded at the same time. The older girls agreed to take the younger one under their wings and teach her how to be the best Quidditch player she could be.

Suddenly, at that moment, all three girls paused as what seemed to be magic coursed through them, although they have never felt it before. It was not like the magic they sense at Hogwarts, or what they feel when they perform spells. No, it was like the Forbidden Forest: ancient and primeval, bright and clear yet dark and mysterious at the same time. The magic coursed through their veins; searching, testing, judging everything that makes a person unique.

Katie felt disconcerted; the magic seemed to be interested in her. It soared through her body, looked inside her mind, scrutinizing every detail. After a moment, the presence stopped observing her and left.

"What was that?" Lisa asked, frightened.

"I don't know…" Alicia whispered.

The three girls shook it off and continued to wash up in silence. They mutually agreed that they would not mention what happened to the other Gryffindors unless somebody else described the same experience to them. Little do they know that almost every student in the school experienced the same thing at the exact moment they felt the "presence."

* * *

Galadriel looked up from her Mirror giving her husband a bemused, and somewhat confused, stare. Celeborn sighed and smiled at his wife. "As I have said: you end up troubled or confused whenever I deem looking into your Mirror folly."

She decided that replying to that statement would be unwise and merely leaned against him. Celeborn sighed again, wrapped his arm around Galadriel's shoulders and led her to their personal _talan_.

While they walked to their quarters, Galadriel pondered on the vision her Mirror showed her. Children of Men floating around in what seemed to be sticks with twigs on one end, girl-children moaning and groaning afterwards, a whole castle filled with _edain_ children all wearing similar looks of puzzlement…it all confused her and she felt that she needed to relax for a while before discussing it with her husband.

They reached their quarters. Noticing his wife's bafflement, Celeborn eased her into their bed and decided to brush Galadriel's hair so that she could relax.

After half an hour of letting her husband brush her hair, Galadriel finally felt relaxed enough to share her vision with her husband. After describing it to Celeborn, she wrapped her arms around him while he pondered on the confusing vision. They stayed that way for a long time; Galadriel almost reached her usual dream paths when Celeborn spoke.

"I think that one of those _edain_ would be arriving here. Did your vision linger on any of the children, even for a while?" he asked Galadriel as they reclined on their bed, his arms draped on his wife's waist.

"No, my vision did not linger on any of the children," her voice was muffled by Celeborn's shoulder. But even as she said this, her mind reminded her that her vision _did_ linger a second or two longer at one of the girls. Galadriel resolved to tell her husband that on the morrow and her eyes glazed over in sleep.

Celeborn looked at Galadriel and smiled. She looked even more beautiful in the moonlight. Kissing her forehead softly, he walked his usual path in his dreams.

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**Author's Notes:** Celeborn and Galadriel's interaction was inspired by LoveChilde's _The Elf Behind the Queen_ which could be found here:

www . fanfiction . net / read . php ? storyid = 838584 (without all the spaces)

It is a must read for Celeborn fans!

Response to reviews will be posted along with Chapter Two. This story will be updated in two or three days.

As always: constructive criticisms are welcome, but flames would be ignored.


	4. Chapter 2: Cerin Amroth

**AUTHOR'S APOLOGIES:** I'm sorry that I took so long to update! It's just that I'm piled up with school work, and to make matters worse, I got sick twice! I'll try to update sooner on my next post, so don't worry -- you wouldn't have to wait three months before chapter three shows up.

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Author's Notes: Er...it seems that my previous post confused a few of my readres a bit... The last part was an interlude, which means that it didn't follow the story's timeline. It's actually set _before_ the story began...and, uh, yeah. Sorry if I confused anyone!

I revised chapter one (pt 2) a bit. Nothing major, just fixed some spelling and grammar errors and changed Haldir and Rúmil's hair colors (dark instead of blond).

This chapter is probably the most boring chapter I've ever written. Maybe my next post wouldn't be as dull as this one, who knows?

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"Why do you keep smiling to yourself, Phebe?"

"I was thinking about a nice little secret I know, and couldn't help smiling."

"Shall I know it sometime?"

"Guess you will."

"Shall I like it?"

"Oh, won't you though!"

Eight Cousins, Louisa May Alcott

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CHAPTER TWO – Cerin Amroth

Katie looked at the trees surrounding her. Now that she wasn't feverish anymore, she could see the environment the Portal brought her to clearly. It seemed like she was standing at that spot forever before moving from her place. Katie walked slowly, savoring the sights, the sounds, the smell and the sense of magic she was feeling from the Woods. The trees seemed to speak to her; telling her about events long forgotten by everyone but themselves; giving her feelings of security and warmth; regaling her with tales only one with millennia of experience could relate. It seemed as if she was part of the forest…like she belonged to this place…as if she was a tree herself; a component of this fair and magical woodland….

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Welcome, Katie Bell, to our world...

Katie looked around. The others were lounging around on the grass and were too far away for her to hear them talk. _And besides,_ she thought,_ the voice didn't sound like them anyway._

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Right you are, Katie Bell, our voices **are** unlike that of your companions'.

Who are you, anyway? And how could you speak to my head like this?

You are one of **them**, and therefore, you could speak to us.

"**Them**?" Katie asked puzzled. _Who are "they?"_

Your kind. The voice (voices?) answered simply. _Your people from the other realm: the Men who harnessed magic._

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So you know that I'm a witch, then.

The trees seemed amused. _If you mean that you are magical, then yes. However, **do not** use the term "witch" or "wizard" here, because you will be misunderstood._

Oh, don't worry. There are other people in my world, you know, who don't practice magic. Most of them never notice that there are wizards walking beside them; and those who **do** notice don't believe their eyes.

The trees seemed to nod sagely. _Ah, yes, that is an unfortunate trait of the Second-born._

The Second-born?

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The Second-born of Ilúvatar: Men. Like yourself.

Oh.

* * *

"The trees are amused," observed Legolas, looking at the boughs hanging above him.

Boromir looked at the trees suspiciously. "Why are they laughing?"

Legolas listened for a while and answered: "They are laughing because of Lady Katie. The trees are amused with her, though I do not know why."

"Perhaps because they heard her earlier comment about Elves being smaller than Hobbits and have squeaky voices," suggested Gimli.

Legolas' mouth opened and closed in shock: It seemed that he had forgotten the girl's earlier comments. Gimli "harrumphed" and grinned behind his beard. Legolas – with his elven hearing – heard it and scowled at him.

Boromir rolled his eyes and looked heavenward. "Now I'm beginning to wish that Faramir was the one who looked for Imladris..." he muttered. "That way, _he_ would be the one who would have to put up with an Elf and a Dwarf bickering."

* * *

Pippin stood up and walked towards Lady Katie. Her eyes were closed and looking as if she was talking to _something_. In fact, if Lady Katie were an Elf, Pippin _would_ have thought that she was talking to the trees. But she said that she was one of the Big Folk, and she didn't have that shining aura all Elves seemed to have.

"Hello, Lady Katie," he said when he reached her side.

Katie jumped. "Oh, hello Pippin!" she exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, my lady, if I startled you!" said Pippin earnestly. "We hobbits could walk almost as silent as Elves, you know, and you were looking like you were lost in thought...I'll make more noise when I walk around you next time, I promise!"

"What? Oh! No need to sound like an elephant whenever you're around me, Pippin!" Katie laughed. "This is the first time I've been in the heart of a forest, you know, and I wanted to savor the trees' presence."

"All right, then, I wouldn't tramp around like an oliphaunt. Have you ever seen an oliphaunt? I haven't you know – none of the Shire-folk has ever seen one – but I've heard that they have long snake-like noses, and large curving teeth like a sow's, except that it's much bigger and sharper and that they're larger than a house! Imagine that! To tell you the truth, I really don't think that oliphaunts really exist – that they're just mythical creatures – but Cousin Bilbo said that Big Folk from down south actually _ride_ them. Can you believe that? How could Men ride animals they couldn't even reach, anyway? And how come those oliphaunts don't mind them sitting on their backs?" Pippin said breathlessly.

"Oliphaunts?" Katie frowned, before realization dawned on her. "Oh, you mean elephants!" she exclaimed. "Yes, I saw one once! They're almost as large as a normal house for my kind, so it _should_ have been bigger than a hobbit's home. And of course people could ride elephants – we watched an elephant-rider in a parade once, when my father was briefly assigned to India. So I _do_ believe in elephants. And I have absolutely _no_ idea how the elephants let people ride on their backs."

"Why do you call them _elephants_ and not _oliphaunts_?" asked Pippin.

Katie shrugged. "Maybe because we have different accents."

Pippin looked as if he was going to say more when Merry's words reached his ears. "Pippin, come over here! I found some mushrooms!"

He perked up. "Mushrooms?!" he exclaimed. "Oi! Leave some for me!" And Pippin rushed off; not noticing Katie's startled face.

"They're almost as bad as Cousin Hubert whenever he finds out that he could get fifth helpings every Christmas dinner," Katie muttered.

* * *

Alicia Spinnet plopped down on a couch next to the Weasley twins. "Have you seen Katie? She's supposed to be back from detention half an hour ago."

"Her detention's with Snape, right?" asked George absently, scribbling on his parchment furiously.

"Yes."

"Then maybe that slimy git decided to be extra sadistic tonight and forced her to work an extra hour," Fred suggested.

"Maybe..." said Alicia doubtfully. She then suddenly realized what the twins were actually doing. "Wait a sec…what exactly are you two doing?"

"Homework," they chorused.

"I _know_ it's homework, you nitwits! Which homework is that?"

"Transfiguration."

Alicia raised her eyebrows. "McGonagall gave that yesterday. Why are you doing it now?"

Fred shrugged. "We _are_ in seventh year, Alicia," he reminded her. "We're gonna take the N.E.W.T.'s this year and we want to graduate."

"And besides," George added, "McGonagall's gonna skin us alive if she finds out what we were up to during dinner."

* * *

The group set off for the Elven-city when the sun sank behind the mountains. As they walked through the forest, the Elves uncovered their silver lamps, casting eerie light upon the faces of the Fellowship and their companions.

Suddenly, they found themselves out in the open again, the stars shining brightly in the heavens. _There was a wide treeless space before them, running in a great circle and bending away on either hand. Beyond it was a deep fosse lost in soft shadow, but the grass upon its brink was green, as if it glowed still in memory of the sun that had gone. Upon the further side there rose to a great height a green wall encircling a green hill thronged with mallorn-trees taller than any they had yet seen in all the land. Their height could not be guessed, but they stood up in the twilight like living towers. In their many-tiered branches and amid their ever-moving leaves countless lights were gleaming, green and gold and silver. Haldir turned towards the Company._

"Welcome to Caras Galadhon!" he said, "Here is the city of the Galadhrim where dwell the Lord Celeborn and Galadriel the Lady of Lórien. But we cannot enter here, for the gates do not look northward. We must go round to the southern side, and the way is not short, for the city is great." (From The Fellowship of the Ring, Book II Chapter 7)

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	5. Chapter 3: Caras Galadhon

**_Intertwined Realms_**  
by baru-chan

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**Author's Notes:** You know, I'm not even going to apologize because there really isn't anything I did wrong. I was just lazy. All of you could just thank Naomi Maxwell for kicking and prodding and generally threatening me to write this monster...er, fanfic.

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Rich diamond and pearl and gold  
In every place was seen.  
Rare splendors: yellow, blue, red, white and green  
Mine eyes did everywhere behold.

—Wonder, Thomas Traherne

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****

CHAPTER THREE – Caras Galadhon

Katie walked along the road paved with white stones with the rest of the company. The _mellyrn _trees' golden leaves swayed with the breeze and the stars that always seemed so cold and distant to her twinkled at Katie merrily, as if to prove to her that they weren't so unreachable after all.

"Merry," said Pippin slowly, "it _is_ January is it not?"

"Yes," Merry replied easily. "Did you fall off the tree while the rest of us were sleeping? If so, then the drop seemed to have messed with your head."

"I did not fall down the tree!" said Pippin indignantly. "I was just wondering why the leaves are gold and are still on the trees."

Katie blinked. It was winter here? She thought it was still autumn! Looking at the forest with new eyes, she beheld the trees with even more wonder.

To a girl who grew up at the northern parts of the world and attended a school in Scotland for nearly eight years, the surroundings did not reflect the usual things Katie always associated with winter. To say that she was astonished would be an understatement.

The girl suddenly wondered if winters here were like this, how breathtaking would the surroundings be if it was spring?

**********

The company had finally reached a white bridge and beheld the gates of the city. It was great, set between the ends of the encircling wall and it was tall and strong and hung with many lamps.

Haldir knocked and spoke, and the gates opened soundlessly. Katie looked around to see who opened the gates, but found nobody. As the company walked in, she looked back as the gates swung shut. She frowned in concentration, trying to figure out the puzzle.

Giving up on the conundrum, she heaved a sigh of frustration. _Maybe it's just magic,_ thought Katie.

While she was figuring out the puzzle, Katie lagged behind the main group. As she hurried to catch up with them, Katie looked above and almost forgot to walk. Her breath caught on her throat: the Elven-city was beautiful!

Great platforms there were on top of the magnificent _mellyrn_, and silver and golden globes of light hung on the rails of the stairs they were climbing. Katie could hear the sound of fair speech above and around them, and the reverberating tones of musical voices singing filled the air. It was so harmonious that Katie almost wept from the beauty of it all.

The company went along many paths and climbed many stairs until they came to the high places and saw a fountain on the lawn before them, lit by silver lamps. On the south side of the lawn there stood the greatest and mightiest mallorn Katie has ever seen. Beside it a broad white ladder stood, with three elves clad in white cloaks sitting at its feet. They stood up; Katie saw that they were tall, and wore gray mail underneath their cloaks.

"Here dwell Celeborn and Galadriel," said Haldir, "it is their wish that you would speak with them."

One of the Elf-wardens spoke: "The Lord Celeborn had a pavilion spread out for the company and bids the girl, Katie Bell, to rest there while the Eight Walkers converse with the Lord and Lady." He nodded to an Elf-maiden Katie didn't notice earlier and was whisked away from the rest of her companions.

She suddenly felt a jolt of fear. This was the first time she was separated from the others since she woke up, and though she did not know them very well, they were at least familiar. The Elf beside her, however, was not.

As the pair walked away from the Eight Walkers and the wardens, Katie heard the clear note of a horn and three answering _toots_ from afar. With a sinking heart, she followed her guide's lead and wondered what Alicia, the twins and Lee were doing.

**********

Fred and George — along with their friend Lee — were in their private niche in the dungeons. The twins were experimenting with a potion to turn the person who drank it to look like Gwindelona Warwick, the new singer idolized by rebellious witches everywhere. Lee was there to chop up the ingredients for them, as the potion needed the twins' complete concentration.

After the twenty-fifth explosion and forty-third failure, Professor Snape strode inside the workroom and loomed over the three Gryffindors. "You are disrupting my weekend," he drawled, peering over their shoulders. "What, pray tell, is so important about that potion that even numerous failures do not deter you from perfecting it?" Glancing at the cauldron, he added, "The powdered yarrow needs to be stirred in now."

As the twins scrambled to add the ingredient and stir the potion, Lee Jordan grinned cheekily at his professor. "Alicia mentioned that she absolutely _adored_ Gwindelona Warwick's _unique_ eyebrows and cheekbones, so we're helping her achieve Ms. Warwick's absolutely _stunning _good looks."

Professor Snape snorted; he had seen hags prettier than Gwindelona Warwick. "You may continue as long as you strengthen your Muffling Charms and not use that on my Slytherins. I'd know _exactly_ who spiked their drinks if my students suddenly look like that woman — though 'woman' might be giving Ms. Warwick too much justice." With that, Hogwarts' Potions Master pivoted and exited the room with an impressive swirl of his robes.

The three teenagers snickered and continued their work, not knowing that a very worried Alicia Spinnet was looking for them.

**********

Alicia was very, very frustrated. Not only was Katie missing, the twins and Lee suddenly decided to experiment on something regarding their pranks. Even after almost eight years of having them as her year mates and friends, she _still_ hadn't found their hiding place. The only place she hadn't searched in yet was the dungeons, which was why she was heading down there.

After hunting for her wayward friends for almost an hour, she saw Professor Snape walk out of a nondescript door. Curiosity piqued, Alicia waited a while before cautiously opening the door.

She gasped, quickly entered the room and shut the door. "Lee Jordan! Fred Weasley! What are you two doing here? And is that you, George? Seriously, the Gwindelona Warwick-look is simply _awful_ on you!"

"I am seriously wounded, my dear Alicia!" cried George, striking an injured pose. "The Warwick-look is very _stunning_ on me!"

Alicia snorted a very unladylike snort. "And I'm heir apparent to the kingdom of Gas'd'fadjah in the planet Y'rgafunergh," she said dryly. Suddenly shaking off her jovial mood, she asked the three boys grimly, "Have you seen Katie?"

The twins and Lee looked at each other. "Nope," they chorused. Then, concerned, Lee said, "Why, she hadn't gone up from detention yet?"

"No," said Alicia, shaking her head. "I think you should ask Snape if he remembered what time Katie left detention," she added.

"Why us?" the boys yelped.

With a long-suffering air of somebody used to talking to idiots, Alicia replied: "Well, you have a sort of truce with him, don't you?"

****

**********

Katie sighed as she stretched out on a divan. It was as comfortable as her four-poster bed in the Gryffindor Tower; the mattress was neither too hard nor too soft and the feeling of pillows cushioning her felt like heaven.

Listening to the sound of fair voices singing, Katie fell into a half-asleep state and dreamily saw images of calm mountains and luscious green leaves dancing in front of her eyes. She could see her cousins meeting the Weasley twins for the first time, squeaking in surprise as Cousin Hera unexpectedly turned into a frog. She also saw Alicia berating Lee and her for not arriving at The Leaky Cauldron earlier.

Suddenly, Katie didn't mind that she was separated from the rest of her companions — she could certainly see them again tomorrow — and Alicia, Lee and the twins were the last things on her mind as she drifted off to sleep.

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End file.
